Minoonaka
by IheartItaly
Summary: A young boy who was once Soren's student has returned, but Soren is afraid to accept him. Will the bonds between Soren and student return. Rated T for violence, blood, and use of spells. Chapter 2 is fixed. The last chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

Minoonaka

The Lost Mage

Lightning flashed and struck down on Soren. Soren bit his mouth, refusing to show any pain. His arm was useless and he held it. Fresh blood started to fall down his arm. He looked up at the young mage in front of him. A huge force of power surrounded him and he cried out in agony.

"Minoonaka! Calm your anger!" Soren shouted over the boy's cries. The boy showed no signs of stopping. Soren glared.

"Minoonaka, please forgive me. But this is the only way," Soren said, more calm. He opened up his book and started chanting a spell. The ceiling started to crumble. Parts of it fell around Soren, but he didn't move, never ceasing his chanting. He held his arm out towards the boy and he started chanting loader.

A glow started forming around the boy and a sealing mark began to appear on his forehead. The intense power around the young mage grew calmer and calmer, until it at last ceased. The young Mage fell to the ground. Soren lowered his hand and fell to his knees, gasping for air. It had taken Soren a lot of force to stop the boy's power from destroying the Study Room.

"I-have-done-it," Soren gasped, "but that seal won't last for very long." As he sat there catching his breath, the young mage's eyes began to open. Soren stood and walked over to him. A sealing mark was printed on his forehead. Soren knelt down to him.

"Are you alright, Minoonaka?" he asked him. Minoonaka held his forehead and moaned.

"I...think so," he said. Without warning, Soren slapped him clean across his face. Minoonaka gave out a slight cry and rubbed his cheek. Soren glared at him.

"I warned you to keep that power of yours controlled! You almost killed me! Do you realize that?!"

"I-" Minoonaka stammered.

"You are much too dangerous now. It was a mistake to train you in the arts of magic," Soren continued as he snapped the book shut and put a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry, Master Soren. I'll get it right," Minoonaka said.

"No you won't! I've given you chances and all you did was fail. I've had enough of you," Soren said. He turned his back to Minoonaka. Minoonaka hung his head.

"You are much too dangerous for me to train. As of this moment," he turned to Minoonka, "I expel you!" Minoonaka stared at him in shock. He grabbed his Master's sleeve as he turned away.

"No, Master Soren! Please! I promise I won't do it again!" he begged.

"You cannot protest. That is my final order as your Master," Soren said as he broke away from Minoonaka's grip. Tears started to develop in Minoonaka's eyes. Soren opened the doors and left, leaving Minoonaka alone in the room. He clinched his fists.

"One day, Master. I will prove to you! I can be just as good as any mage. Your training won't be in vain," he vowed to himself.


	2. A mage boy

Six years later...

A village was burning and the villagers scattered in panic. Pirates chased after the villagers and started setting houses on fire. A big muscular pirate with a patch over his left eye smiled. A scare was visible down his left eye. He smiled and laughed.

"Take all the booty you find. No survivors!" he commanded. His fellow pirates seemed to enjoy that. They grabbed every chest they found, and captured some women. The Pirates were enjoying themselves, until a huge gust of wind blew towards them. The Pirate Captain glared.

"What?! Who-" he couldn't finish as another gust of wind blew away some of his men. The Pirates noticed a mage in a black cloak walked towards them. His hair was dark and his eyes were a shade of red. He looked no younger than 16. He smiled mischievously at the Pirates.

"Sorry about that, my pirate friends. You just happened to be in the way of my target practice. Although, I don't think killing innocent people is a good thing," he said with a gleam in his eyes. The Pirate Captain grinned his teeth. Then he smiled.

"Boys, whoever kills this runt will become my right hand man. Now get him!" he shouted. The Pirates shouted as they ran towards the boy. The first pirate swung his ax at him, but the boy smirked and pointed a finger at him.

"Thunder!" he chanted. A lightning bolt fell on the Pirate and killed him. Two Pirates drew their swords and rushed towards him. The boy circled around them and kicked them away. The last Pirate cursed and jabbed his lance in the boy's right arm. The boy stood there and trembled as blood started to fall down his arm. The Pirate laughed.

"HAHAHA! What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he said in a mocking baby voice. The boy smiled.

"You shouldn't have done that. Sticking your lance to me," he said. The Pirate glared.

"What are you talking about, Brat?" The boy smirked.

"Only this," he raised his left hand, "Wind!" Seconds later, a series of wind blows sliced towards the Pirate, leaving cuts on his arms. The Pirate screamed in pain and fell to the ground in defeat. The Pirates that held swords, that were kicked away, came back up and ran towards him. The boy shot fire at the Pirates and they burned to noting. The boy smiled and glanced at the Pirate Captain.

"Next?" he said. The Pirate Captain screamed and raised his ax. The boy took a stance, waiting for the Pirate Captain to attack.

But an arrow shot through the air and hit his arm. The Pirate Captain screamed in pain and glared to where the arrow flew from atop a nearby tree. A boy who looked no older than 15 swallowed. His hair was a light green.

"Drat, I missed!" he said. A man who had red hair smiled at him.

"Yes, but it was a good shot, Rolf," he said. The boy blushed.

"Gee, Shinon. Thanks."

"It's too early for thanks," the man told him. The Pirate Captain glared at them.

"Bowmen?" he heard horses and marching coming up the road. The mage glared at the bowmen in the tree, then at the approaching army. The army was coming, and fast. He wasn't sure if they were the Pirate Captain's reinforcements or not. But the Pirate wasn't showing any signs of friendliness towards the strangers.

Then the mage was frozen in his place when he saw a young man with blue hair rush towards the Pirate. He looked like he was in his 20's and appeared to be the leader of the army. The Pirate Captain smiled and swung his ax at the man. But with a mighty stroke of his golden sword, he knocked the sword away from the Pirate. The Pirate froze as the man pointed his sword to his neck. A sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Ike. Commander of the Griel Mercenaries. And at this moment. Your worst nightmare," the man said. The Pirate Captain swallowed. He reached into his pockets and tossed out small purses of money.

"T-take it all. I don't care anymore! Just let me go," he begged. Ike kicked him to the ground.

"Get out of here, you scum," he glared. The Pirate Captain screamed and ran away. When he was gone, Ike turned his gaze to the mage, who was still shock by Ike's appearance.

"Who are you? Are you with the Pirates?" Ike asked him. The mage swallowed.

"N-no, sir. I was actually trying to stop them," he said. Ike's expression softened.

"Oh, I see. You are a traveler then?"

"Y-yes, sir." Ike put up his sword and smiled.

"Tell me. What is your name?"

"I'm Minoonaka, Sir," the mage told him. Ike gave him a slight bow of respect.

"I'm Ike of the Greil Mercenaries. A pleasure to meet you, Minoonaka. You are injured, I see. Hey, Mist! Come over here and Heal Minoonaka," Ike said as he turned to a young girl who looked about 15 or 16. The girl walked up and her staff began to glow as it healed his arm. Ike smiled.

"You must be tired after your journey. Please, you are welcome to stay with us," he said. Minoonaka was shocked.

"Oh, no. Please, I don't wish to be a burden," he said, waving his hand in front of him. Ike laughed.

"It's no trouble. Tonight you will rest with us," he said. Minoonaka still wasn't too sure about it, but he nodded. Up in the tree, Shinon frowned.

"Dumb, Pup. Trusting strangers so easily," he mumbled.


	3. Master and Student

"So, Minoonaka, was it?" Ike said as he and the young mage entered his tent. Minooaka nodded.

"Yes, Sir Ike," he said respectfully. Ike smiled.

"Please, Minoonaka. There is no need to call me 'Sir'. You can call me Ike," he said.

"Very well. Ike," Minoonaka said, feeling a bit awkward.

"Are you traveling around looking for something? Is there some place you wish to go?" Ike asked as he looked down at a map that was laid out on a large table in the center of the room. Minoonaka sighed and nodded.

"Yes. There is someone I've been longing to see. I haven't seen him in six years."

"That long? Is it family?" Ike asked, marking out an area on the map. He glanced up at Minoonaka, who smiled.

"Not exactly family. But he is someone important to me. I've been wanting to show him how strong I've become. He was disappointed with me last time I saw him, so I want to make him proud."

"That's a a heavy burden. He must be that important, eh?"

"He's the best of the best. He taught me everything he knew about magic," Minoonaka said feeling proud. Then he looked away and rubbed his forehead that was covered with some of his hair, "Well, maybe not ALL of it." Minoonaka blushed slightly and chuckled, not wanting to mention the seal on his forehead.

The tent flap opened and a mage wearing dark robes and had long dark hair entered. He and Minoonaka exchanged a glance, but the mage entered without a word to Minoonaka.

"Ike, I'd like to report our status on our last battle," he said. Minoonaka stared at him.

"Master Soren?!" he wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut. Ike chuckled at Soren.

"Go on ahead, Soren."

"Everyone fought well. No one was injured and no one died in battle. We gained 200 gil from the villagers in thanks," he said with a smile at his best friend Commander. Ike smiled and sat down on a chair and put his muddy boots on the table.

"Soren, you didn't tell me who MVP was," he complained. Soren raised an eyebrow.

"You were, Commander," he said in a serious voice. Ike smiled.

"Thank you, Soren. That will be all. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," he said as he took his boots off the table and walked over to Minoonaka, "This is Minoonaka. He's been traveling around looking for his master. He's a mage and he helped us get rid of the Pirates." Soren frowned.

"Yes, I've heard of our...visitor," he said, "Excuse me, Ike." Soren bowed to the Commander, then gave a slight nod to Minoonaka. He left the tent thinking to himself, "Why is that Brat here?"

"I'm sorry about Soren. He's not very social. But once you get to know him, he's not so bad," Ike apologized to Minoonaka. Minoonaka smiled, yet he wasn't feeling very pleased.

"Yes, I know. Ike, there is something I want to tell you," he said. Ike nodded to a chair.

"Sounds like it's going to be long. Why don't you take a seat?" he offered. Minoonaka nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

"Can I offer you any refreshments?"

"No, I am fine. Ike, I know Soren. He was...my Master in teaching me magic and spells," Minoonaka said. Ike nearly spat out his wine.

"Soren was?! Forgive me, Minoonaka. But Soren never said anything about having students," he said. Minoonaka held a sad expression.

"So he's never mentioned me. I'm not surprised. I've failed him. Soren is the one I've been looking for, Ike. I've wanted to show him my skills," he told the Commander. Ike gave it some thought.

"Well, just because he's never mentioned you doesn't mean you never existed, right? Hehe," Ike said. Minoonaka was beginning to think that Ike was clueless sometimes. He shook his head.

"I know Master Soren won't talk to me. Ike, could you- That is if you're not busy. Could you...talk to him sometime? I don't have to be long with him. I just-If only for a moment I could talk to him. Or show him what I can do,"

"I understand, Minoonaka. I will do what I can," Ike smiled. Minoonaka nearly cried tears of joy.

"T-Thank you, Ike! I promise, it will only be for a moment," he said.


	4. Minoonaka, Rhys, and Boyd

Minoonaka decided to look around the camp. He noticed a young man with an ax swinging it around and giving out shouts. It looked as if he was practicing. Someone bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry," said a man with red hair and wearing a white rob. He carried a staff.

"No, it was stupid of me not noticing where I was going," Minoonaka said. The man smiled.

"Don't worry about it. My name is Rhys. I've heard of you. You're a traveler, yes?" he said. Minoonaka nodded.

"I'm Minoonaka. I've been looking for my Master. But I've found him. In this campsite," Minoonaka said, "Soren." Rhys stared at him.

"Soren? I never knew he had students. So you must be a mage like him?"

"Yes. He trained me in the arts of magic. But I haven't seen him in six years-" Minoonaka was cut off when Rhys shouted.

"BOYD! You have an ax in your head!" he screamed, as he rushed over to his comrade. Boyd smiled.

"Hey, Rhys. Uh, yeah. I have an ax in my head," he said. Rhys sighed.

"You and Gatrie. One of these days you're going to-GAHHHHHHH!" he screamed as he saw blood fall from Boyd's forehead. He nearly fainted.

"You okay, Rhys? You look kind of pale," Boyd said, oblivious to the danger of his forehead.

"Darn, you man! Of course I'm pale! Hold still while I- Um, remove the ax," Rhys said as he reached for the ax. He grabbed the handle and took a deep breath.

"Now don't freak out when I pull it out. At least try not to," he told Boyd.

"Um, sure thing, Rhys," Boyd said. Rhys gently, but quickly took out the ax. Boyd let out a scream and it made Rhys scream. Then Boyd started laughing.

"I'm just kidding, Rhys. You shouldn't freak out so much," he said. Rhys glared.

"It is not smart to fool your doctors, Boyd! I thought you were seriously hurt!" he said, but he healed Boyd's forehead.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Hey, who is this kid?" Boyd said, glancing over at Minoonaka. Minoonaka stared at him, but smiled.

"I am Minoonaka," he said. Boyd smiled and chuckled a little.

"Really? What else is on the menu?"

"What?! Oh, no. Minoonaka is not a pastries dish," Minoonaka told him.

"I was just kidding, kid. But what does Minoonaka mean anyway?" Boyd smiled.

"Hold still!" Rhys told him as Boyd struggled to move. He was wrapping a bandage around his forehead.

"Ouch! Careful!" Boyd said. Minoonaka smiled.

"My name means 'Noble of mages'. My Master gave it to me," he said, looking away. Sadness covered his eyes, "Although, I don't think I deserve such a name."

"Huh? 'Noble'?"

"Yes, I think 'noble' is a good name for him. He's kind and curious. But you, Boyd. I don't see any nobility in your arts," Rhys said.

"W-Whh? Rhys!" Boyd said, staring at the Healer in surprise. Minoonaka smiled and chuckled.

"We all have our own abilities. I must be leaving now," he said. He bowed to the two before he left.

"I worry about that boy," Rhys said, "Something doesn't seem right about him."

"Huh? He looked pretty normal to me," Boyd said. Rhys sighed and nodded.

"Yes. I suppose it was only my imagination," he said. He smiled at Boyd, "I'll be going now. Train well, Boyd. And don't let that ax in your head again," he warned. Boyd smiled.

"You got it, Rhys. Be careful and make sure Mist doesn't fall behind in HER training,"


	5. Soren Tells Ike the Truth

That night, Soren stood outside his tent.

"Minoonaka, why have you returned?" he said to himself. He looked up at the stars. Bugs flew around a torch that was lit. It was close to his tent, but well out of the way of being burned. There was a crate next to his tent and Soren sat down and sighed. He put a hand over his face. He felt tired and frustrated.

"I am exhausted. Minoonaka shouldn't be here for too much longer," he said. He stood up and opened his tent flap, about to enter.

"Ah, Soren! There you are! I've been looking for you," said a voice. Soren turned and saw Ike standing there.

"Commander, do you wish to see me?" he asked him. Ike nodded.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to talk to you about Minoonaka," he said. Soren stood there a few seconds, then he turned back to his tent.

"No, thank you. Goodnight," he said. Ike pulled him back.

"Wait, Soren. He's been wanting to see you. Why do you avoid him?" he asked his friend.

"I'm sorry, Ike. But I don't want to talk about it. You wouldn't understand anyway," Soren said, not looking back at him.

"Sorry, I didn't understand that," Ike said stubbornly. Soren turned to look at him.

"Ike!" he insisted.

"He's looked all over for you. He wants you to accept him. Are you just going to push him away and never even look at him? Not even a going to wish him goodbye?" Ike asked. Soren stared at Ike a moment. He sighed.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"It's because-" Soren began, but he looked around, "Not here. We should talk about it in your tent. I want to be out of the range of others to hear. Follow me," he said. Ike followed Soren to Ike's tent. Soren looked around again to make sure no one was watching them. Then they went inside.

"Okay, now what is it?" Ike said. Soren took a deep breath.

"Ike, don't trust Minoonaka. He's a monster," he said.

"Huh? What do you mean? Back up and tell me everything," Ike said. Soren looked around the tent as if someone was hiding in and listening. He took another long breath.

"Ike, do you remember when I returned and told you about the invasion of Daien?"

"Yeah, we were all happy to see you. At least I was," Ike said.

"Well, gathering information about Daien wasn't the only thing I was doing. I was teaching Minoonaka and studying with the other mages. It was 10 years ago. A village was burning nearby our Study. The other mages and I tried to save it, but we couldn't. We tried to save the villagers, but we could only save one. That one was Minoonaka," Soren told him.

"..."

"The other mages didn't want to go near him because they sensed an evil power coming from inside him. I had sensed the power as well. But I wanted to help him. I believed he could change. I sensed magic power coming from him, so I volunteered to be his master. He was six years old, but he couldn't remember what happened to him or his name. So I decided to call him 'Minoonaka',"

"'Minoonka', huh? What's that mean anyway?" Ike asked him.

"It means 'Noble of Mages'. He grew well in the magic arts and he soon became one with it. It was then that I realized not only that the other Mages didn't want to train him because they were afraid of his power. But it was also because he was one of the Branded."

"Minoonaka is one of the Branded?" Ike asked. Soren nodded.

"Yes. When I look back on it all, I can't help but think that that was one of the reasons why I helped him. Because he was a Branded, like me. Maybe because I felt connected to him, and that I would be the only one who would help? I found out that he was half dragon, just like me," he said.

"He's half dragon?" Ike asked.

"Yes. He was doing well in his training. But then it happened. The first time he...lost control," Soren said. Ike didn't say anything.

"He was eight and he summoned a large amount of magic. Suddenly he froze and then all his power broke out. I did all I could to stop him. I was able to, but I was surprised that he had so much strength. At first I thought he was going through some kind of phase. Sometimes training in the arts of magic can make someone feel cramped; they have to vent by letting go of their power. But then he lost control again a few months later, and then I knew I was wrong.

"The second time he lost control, it was harder to calm him. I ended up wounded some. I told him he needed to get control over his power or it will consume him. It wasn't only stress, I noticed. But he lost control also because of anger.

"I looked in every book I knew that dealt with this problem. But I found nothing. I even asked my superior mages, but they too didn't know anyway to calm the stress Minoonaka was going through. So I tried therapy exercises for him. He often told me it hurt him when he lost control. I tried everything. I even postponed his training until he would calm down. But it was all in vain.

"And it happened again when he was ten. It was much harder to calm him. In fact, I tried everything and still couldn't calm him. So I did something that was strictly forbidden against master and students," Soren said. He started to tremble as he spoke, as if it frightened or hurt him to even talk about it.

"What was it?" Ike asked.

"I cast the Forbidden Seal on him. It's a spell that prevents ones magic power. That's why it's forbidden to cast it on your fellow mages. But it was the only thing I could do. If I didn't cast that spell, Minoonaka would have killed me. And if he killed me, I knew he would only blame himself. I expelled him. He was the only student who didn't progress to the next level, unlike the others. The proof of my sealing is on his forehead,"

"On his forehead? I didn't see any sealing on his forehead," Ike said, raising an eyebrow.

"He must have hidden it with his hair. How did you find him again?" Soren asked.

"He fought off the Pirates that were attacking the village," Ike told him.

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, is there something wrong?"

"He attacked them with magic?" Soren said, fear in his voice.

"Yeah? How else do mages fight?" Ike said. Soren face palmed and gave out a stressing sigh.

"Curses! So the seal is breaking!" he said. He put a hand on Ike's shoulder, "Ike, if that seal is breaking, then he can't be trusted. We are in danger as long as he's here!"

"Soren..." Ike said. Just then, screams started to panic throughout the camp, "W-What?!" They ran out the tent and saw the whole camp on fire. Soren's eyes grew in fear and shock.

"NO! This cannot be! Has the seal been broken?!" he screamed. Ike noticed Soren's worry. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Soren. We'll find get to the bottom of this," he said. A tent fell and Soren and Ike saw Minoonaka engulfed in flames. The seal on his forehead glowed purple.

"NO! The Seal!" Soren screamed. Ike pulled out Ragnell.

"I'll take care of him, Soren. You help put out the fire," he said.

"Don't kill him, Ike," Soren told him. Ike nodded to his request.


	6. A Talk With Pelleas

Castle Daien glimmered in the morning sunlight. Soldiers trained in the palace courtyard and the servants were washing windows and dusted the tapestries. Cooks and chefs scurried around in the kitchens making breakfast and washing dishes. Everyone in the palace were busily at work. All but young Prince Pelleas who sat in library, reading. His blue hair was neatly brushed and his robes showed no sign of dirt covering him. As he sat there staring into the book, the windows opened and a huge gust of wind blew in. The pages in his book began to turn quickly from the ruff blows of the wind. Pelleas was shocked at first, but then he relaxed. A mage with a hood covering his face jumped in and glared at him. Pelleas smiled, ignoring the glare.

"So you've come. The stars predicted you would," he said. The mage pulled back his hood, revealing the face of Soren. He took a step closer to Pelleas.

"If the stars predicted that I would come, then you must know why I am here," he said, not softening his glare. Pelleas nodded and smiled.

"Yes. You wish to find a way to lift Minoonaka's curse?" Soren nodded. They were both silent a moment. Then Soren glared again.

"So? Where is it?" he demanded. Pelleas gestured for him to follow and they walked to the farthest part of the library. Pelleas skimmed through the the books until he found the right one.

"Oh, here it is," he smiled as he pulled a green book that looked more like a tome out from the shelf. Dust covered the book and Pelleas brushed it clean. He opened the book and found the page that Soren wanted to know about. The Prince handed it to Soren. Soren took the book without thanks and examined the page. After a moment of reading, he bit his lower lip.

"So the only way is to destroy the one who bares this problem? There must be another way!" he protested. Pelleas shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Not many has come across this problem," he said. Soren glared at him.

"But surly YOU must have an explanation! You're more skilled in these arts than any other mage I know! That's why I came to you!" he shouted. Pelleas thought for a moment.

"Well, perhaps there may be some other way to lift the curse. But will you be willing to accept it?" he smirked. Outraged, Soren grabbed Pelleas's collar and shoved him into the wall.

"You knew there was another way all along, didn't you?! Tell me, what can I do to lift Minoonaka's curse?!" he shouted. Pelleas grabbed Soren's hand and pulled it away.

"You already know what the answer is, Soren. I only said 'if you were willing to accept it'." Soren took a deep breath and exhaled, annoyance in his sigh.

"I am not here for you, I'm here for Minoonaka. Pelleas smiled and closed the book.

"As always, Soren. You are harsh, " he said. Soren turned his back to Pelleas.

"If you will not hep me, than I will seek advice elsewhere," he said. Pelleas pulled him back.

"Soren, Minoonaka only wishes for you to accept him," he said in a calmer tone. He held no smart like grin in his words like a moment ago, "I'm sure you don't want Minoonaka to become like you. Alone, isolated, and hated. Please, tell him how you feel. Minoonaka will listen, only if you listen to him as well.," Pelleas told him. Soren didn't look at him. He pulled away from his grip and opened a window and jumped out. Pelleas watched him leave.

He was unaware that Soren sat above the window. Pelleas shut the window and a shadow covered Soren's eyes. He gridded his teeth in anger, yet a single tear fell from within his shadowy covered eyes. He wanted to shut every word the prince told him out, but he could not forget them.

"Feelings...are so useless," he mumbled to himself. He turned towards Crimia and ran away, unnoticed by anyone who would think he was there.


	7. The Final Chapter

{Hey, guys. Yahoooooooo! The new and final chapter! I know it's been a really long while. Sorry about that. I've had been busy writing other stories and a little bit of writer's block. Anyway, hope you enjoy this final chapter. It's going to be long to make up the long wait.}

Minoonaka opened his eyes and sighed. He held his head. He always felt pain when he released his power. Wait, why was he laying on a cot? He tried to remember what happened. All he could remember was feeling anger and pain. Then he burned into flames. The last thing he remembered was Soren casting a spell on him, and he fell into a deep sleep. That must be why he was laying on a cot. He heard someone walking in. He turned to see Mist. She smiled as she walked up to him, holding a glass of water. She handed it to him.

"Hi, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?" she asked. Minoonaka shook his head and took the water.

"No, thanks. What happened while I was asleep?"

"Everyone was able to gather what they could from the flames. Now we're trying to repair what was lost. Everyone's worried about you. You were asleep for a long while. Almost three days," she said. Minoonaka shot up.

"Three days?!" he looked around the tent, "Where's Master Soren?! Was he hurt?! Is he dead?!"

"No, he's alive. He just went to find a cure for you," Mist said, holding him steady. Minoonaka sighed a relief and lied down.

"Good," he smiled. But tears started to fall from his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Mist asked.

"You should be angry with me at what I did to your camp, but you're not! Why? I disrespect Master Soren and cause trouble wherever I go," he said. Mist shook her head,

"It's not your fault, Minoonaka. I'm sure Soren will find a cure for you. Then you won't have to worry about your course anymore," she smiled. Minoonaka smiled but still felt bad about what happened.

"If only there were some why I could show him that I'm just as good as a mage as he is."

"We'll worry about that when Soren gets here," Mist said as she walked out of the tent. Minoonaka sighed. He sat there for a long while.

"Master Sore, more than anything, I want to see you smile. Just once, for me. I've been wanting you to for a long time now. I want you to be proud of me," he said to himself. He began to shiver and he felt his temperature raising.

"No! Not again!" he said, holding his head. He felt for the seal. It wasn't there! Minoonaka didn't like the looks of this. The seal was what kept his power at bay ever since childhood. It must have broken when he lost control. And it was happening all over again!

Minoonaka stood up and walked unsteadily to the tent flap. Everything seem to burn wherever he looked. Gatrie noticed him and walked up, his big armor clinking as he approached.

"Hey, Kid, are you alright?" he asked. Gatrie was usually a pretty easy-going guy, but even he looked a bit concerned for Minoonaka. Minoonaka glared at him.

"I'm fine!" he said aggressively. Gatrie raised an eyebrow, but smiled.

"There's no reason to be angry! Why don't you turn that frown upside down?" he suggested with a smile. Minoonaka gave an angry shout and burst into flames. Gatrie backed away.

"Whoa, Kid! That's some evil flames you got there! I better warn Ike!" he quickly ran away. Minoonaka held is head.

"No! I can't let this take control! I can fight this thing! I can!" he said to himself as he began to scream.

"Hey, cuttie, where do ya think you're going?" grinned a pirate as he tossed a knife from one hand to another. He and his three other buddies smiled as they stared at the glaring Soren before them.

"For one thing, I'm a man. Another thing is that I need to pass this bridge," he frowned. The pirate was shocked at Soren's words. He glared back at him and spat at the ground. Then he smiled.

"Well, you're going to have to get by us if you want to pass this bridge," he said," let's show this pretty boy what it means to cross a pirate's path, Boys." His pals chuckled and grinned as they pulled out their axes.

"Oh...scary," Soren said, unfazed. He brushed back his cloak and held his wind tome. The pirates grinned. The first swung his ax, but Soren stepped aside and kicked him in the gut. The second pirate growled and threw his ax at Soren.

"A hand ax, hm? My magic can handle that," he said as he leaped out of the way. He felt the wind flowing through his hands.

"Elwind!" he casts as a tornado of wind came roaring down on the pirate, killing him. The first pirate got up and made a shout as he rused up behind Soren. But a wind blew the ax out of his hands. The pirate stared at his empty hands. Then he screamed and ran away. Soren smiled as he glanced over his shoulder in time to see the pirate flee. He smiled at the leader.

"Looks like your friend has abandoned you. Will you let me pass now?" he asked. Sweat fell down from the lead pirate's face. Then he gripped his knife.

"Never! As long as one of us stands, there will be no surrendering!" he said. Soren sighed as the lead pirate screamed as he ran towards Soren.

"I have no choice then," he then reached into his cloak and grabbed a different tome. Then he through his hand to the sky as said.

"ELTHUNDER!" and a stroke of lighting fell on the pirate. He fell dead on the ground a few seconds later. Soren took a deep breath and put up the tome.

"I hope I won't have anymore trouble along the way. Don't worry, Minoonaka! I'm coming!"

"Commander Ike!" Gatrie cried as he burst pass Ike's tent flap. His cheeks turned a little pink when he saw that his commander was shirt-less. Ike screamed.

"Gatrie! Ever heard of saying, I don't know, 'My I come in'?!" he screamed, "Lucky for you I just finished taking a bath!"

"I'm sorry, Ike! But it's horrible! I thought I should warn you!" he said, looking away. Ike sighed.

"What terrible disaster happened now? Did Mist's staff break? She can buy another one."

"No! It's that kid Minoonaka! He looked upset, and he burst into flames!"

"What?!" Ike screamed. He grabbed his clothes and quickly put them on, then he grabbed Ragnelle, "Where is he?"

"By the tent we put him in," Gatrie said but someone screamed, "Or not." He and Ike rushed out to find an uncontrolled flamed Minoonaka. He didn't seem to be in pain, but he looked angry. Ike glared.

"Oh, great! We just repaired the camp! Gatrie, you take everyone and get them as far away from here as you possibly can!" he said.

"But what are you going to do?" Gatrie asked. Ike frowned.

"I'll have to fight Minoonaka," he said.

"But what about Soren?"

"Soren's not here! I'm the only one who could have a chance against Minoonaka!"

"He'll kill you," Gatrie said, looking a bit saddened. Ike put a hand on his shoulder.

"A worthy sacrifice. Now go!" he said. Gatrie nodded and soon everyone was fleeing the camp. Mist dropped her staff, but it was a mistake. It caught the interest of Minoonaka and he started to gather a ball of flame in his hand. Mist screamed as the fire ball flew towards her. Before Minoonaka's fire ball could burn Mist, Ike stood in the way and the fire ball bounced off.

"You okay?" he asked her. Mist nodded.

"What are you going to do, Ike?" she asked.

"I'm going to do what I can to calm Minoonaka down until Soren gets here. Hurry, go after the others." Mist nodded and picked up her staff and ran after the fleeing army. Ike glared at Minoonaka.

"Hey, Flames! Wy don't you pick on me? I'm a better prize than my sister!" he only wanted Minooaka's attention, and now he had it. Minoonaka shot three fire balls at Ike. Ike ducked on the first, jumped over the second, and then sliced the third in half. Minoonaka glared at him. Ike glared back.

"Come on, Soren! Where are you?!" he said to himself. Then Ike was sliced on his arm by Minoonaka's wind spell. Ike grumbled and held his wounded arm, which started to bleed. The he saw clouds forming and heleaped out of the way in time before a lightning struck where he once stood. All this fighting was making Minoonaka more angry. Ike wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

"Ike!" came a voice. Ike looked in the direction his name was being called. He sighed in relief.

"Soren! About time you should up! I was almost a roasted commander!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner!" Soren said, "Some pirates stopped me at the bridge."

"Well, what matters is that your here! Have anything to help Minoonaka?"

"No. Only I can stop Minoonaka. There isn't a spell," he said. Ike stared at him in shock.

"Then how can you stop him?" he asked.

"Please, stand back, Ike. Only I can stop him," Soren said. Ike looked from Soren to Minoonaka, then he nodded.

"Okay. Do whatever you have to do," he said. Soren took a step toward Minoonaka. The boy shouted and started to burst into flames again. Soren glared and grabbed Minoonaka. Still aflame!

"Soren?! What are you- Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Ike screamed. Soren ignored him. He held on to Minoonaka, who tried to shake him off. Soren flinched as the flames began to hurt him, but he didn't let go.

"Minoonaka! Listen to me! I know you're in there!" he said. Minoonaka screamed but Soren continued, "I know how you feel. You are afraid of who you are and you're worried if anyone will accept you or not. I was scared too, but now I have Ike! He was there for me when no one else was! But you don't have to suffer like I did! I'm here for you know! So you don't have to be worried anymore! As long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you!" he said. Minoonaka seemed a bit calmer. Soren was certain that Minoonaka was trying to stop this madness. Soren spoke calmer.

"That's right. Fight it. You control the magic. It doesn't control you. We can start again, you and I. We can start training again. You and me. This time, you will have a better control for the arts of magic. Don't be afraid anymore. I'm here for you now." The flames started to disappear. Minoonaka started to fall unconscious.

"Master Soren?" he asked. Soren nodded.

"Yes, Minoonaka. I am your Master," he said. Minoonaka smiled as he fell unconscious. Ike smiled and walked up to them. Ike was certain he saw a smile on Soren's face for a second. Then Soren noticed Ike smiling at him. He tried hiding his smile.

"Well done.I never thought you had that in you."

"Yes, well. He'll be alright now. He's exhausted from all his power being released at once." He picked up Minoonaka, "ike, don't tell anyone about this, please. I'd hate to see their stupid faces talking about what happened between me and Minoonaka."

"Oh, of course, Soren. I won't tell anyone," he then smiled as noticed the flames have disappeared," well the flames stopped. Soren, will Minoonaka be safe from now on?"

"Yes. I could feel it as I spoke to him. He was angry at himself because he thinks that all he does if fail at everything. But what he really neded most was for me to accept him. But now, I'm going to work with him and support him whenever he needs it," Soren said. He carried Minoonaka back to his tent. Ike smiled.

"Student and Teacher. That must be nice. But now I have to go and gather everyone and tell them they can come back."

EPILOGUE

Minoonaka stayed with the Grail Mercenaries until his training with Soren was complete. But just as he was thinking about leaving, Ike asked him to stay with them on behalf of Soren's request.

"Are you serious?" Minoonaka asked. Ike nodded.

"I am. We could use someone like you, Minoonaka. And Soren will be sorry to see you go," he leaned close to his ear as if Soren was in the room listening, "but he won't admit it."

"But why would he just come out and say it?" Minoonaka asked. Ike smiled.

"He was too shy, so he asked me to tell you." Minoonaka was overcomed by joy.

"Of course I'll stay!" He ran out to looked for his Master. Soren was carrying a stack of books he was bringing to Ike's tent, when Minoonaka rushed about and through his arms around his teacher. Soren dropped all the books and was shocked by his student's sudden act.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Minoonaka was beginning to cry.

"Oh, thank you, Master Soren! Thank you!"

"For what?"

"For letting me stay with you!" Minoonaka said. Soren glared at Ike, who walked up smiling.

"What did you tell him?" he asked. Ike smiled.

"Only that you wanted him to stay with us," he said.

"I only suggested it! It wasn't a request!" Soren protested. But Minoonaka smiled.

"I don't care what happened. I'll stay here as long as you need me!" he said. Soren frowned and glared at Ike. Ike smiled and walked away. When he was gone, Soren smiled and returned Minoonaka's hug. After a moment he pulled back.

"Okay,okay! What if somebody sees us?" he said, "here's an idea. Why don't you go bury yourself in a tome and practice it until the sun sets?"

"If you really want me to, then I will!" Minoonaka exclamed as he ran to his tent to do what his Master suggested. Soren picked up the books.

"He's such an idiot sometimes," he said. But he found himself smiling.

THE END

{I hoped you enjoyed it! I think it may be the only FE story I'll ever write, though.}


End file.
